Heart Break Warfare
by OhSoTheStarsMayShine
Summary: Laxus and Gajeel don't know what's going on. They just know Ivan sent them on a mission, and they had better do it if they didn't want the crap beaten out of them. They just had to kidnap two Fairy Tail mages-Cana Alberona and Levy McGarden. Simple, right?Wrong. Raven Tail & Fairy Tail teeter on the edge absolute warfare, but can love and other misguided feelings get in their path?
1. Chapter 1

**OK ladies and gents! This is my first fanfic, but I've got high-hopes for it. Just so you know, this story will contain several sex or mature scenes, so if you're not really into that kind of stuff, I understand, you can just walk away right now. My main pairing here is Laxana, but Gajeel and Levy will be a pretty big part of it too. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter One: Insignificant Coincidences Upon Closer Scrutiny

**Gajeel**

"You have to be kidding!" Gajeel shouted, his eyes uncertain and unbelieving at the words coming out of his partner's mouth.

He stood in the center of the lobby of his workplace. One would hardly call an magical spy league a workplace though. True enough, the space was actually quite decent. Soft beige couches were plumped and arranged around a small glass table that sported a collection of Fiore Weekly. A small information booth filled with local maps and tourist pamphlets stood in the corner, next to several potted plants. To the side of the room was a small doorway leading to the actual attractions that held many shopping stores and food places convenient for busy travelers. A high-manner restroom sulked at the end of the hallway.

Other than that, the room was mostly empty, with an exception of the mahogany walls lined with paintings and photos of the association's past—oh but of course, having such a stately manner and all, one would never suspect. However, under the false cover of being a rest-stop on a local road of the city Magnolia, Raven Tail was indeed a high functioning assassination league, equipped with some of the most deadly mages known and unknown to the world.

Gajeel Redfox, one of the top respected workers of the association, and an iron eating mage, sat in the uncomfortably soft couches with incredulous eyes boring into those of his partner, Laxus Dreyar. Laxus, known for his horrific powers of lightning and thunder, sat on the couch opposite to him, eyes wary and muscles aching to rest. He leaned back into the cushioning and tried to calm down his clearly aggravated friend. "Look Gajeel, I won't be on the job either. Master Ivan has me out on scouting too, so it's nothing personal. After all, Freed is going to—"

"THAT BASTARD IS GONNA BE THERE?!" Gajeel practically screamed. Luckily the men were alone in the lobby, but nonetheless Laxus knew he had to stop his friend's loudness before someone else heard them and came to see what was going on.

Still, Gajeel fumed. Wasn't he supposed to be respected here? Was he not one of the most talented assassins Raven Tail exhibited? How was he being humiliated, after everything he had put into these people? Obviously, the Master needed him for the most important quest at the time, so why was he being kept out of the mission, and instead given a simple scout-and-capture task? That too, to have the snot-nosed Freed on the mission only insulted Gajeel even more. Why did Laxus not understand how wrong this was?

"Gajeel, you need to calm down, you're going to attract attention!" Laxus hissed, eying the man quite angrily now. Gajeel would have argued, but he knew Laxus was correct. Although the lobby was deserted, both men knew that only one flight of stairs separated them from the main headquarters and dormitories of the other league members. Gossip in this building spread like wildfire.

Gajeel couldn't rest his mind, knowing that he won't be the one on the front lines, and instead being set back for such a puny task… UGH! Gajeel punched the pillow next to him in frustration, but it simply puffed back up into its regular plump manner. "So," Gajeel started, failing miserably at his attempt to keep his voice even. "What's our job? Who are we looking for?"

Laxus fished out a stack of yellow papers from inside his large fur coat and spread them on the glass table. There were two pictures, of two girls', and with each girl came one of too small squares of paper loaded with information on the whereabouts and occupations of the suspects. Laxus began to speak.

"Our two suspects—Miss Levy McGarden and Cana Alberona. Both elite members of the top-notch spy association better known as Fairy Tail," Laxus explained, sitting forward. Gajeel twitched at the sound of their enemy league; Fairy Tail was always the first to interfere and stop Raven Tail's evil deeds. Aafter all, even though Raven Tail was technically a legal guild, everyone knew that they had some evil brewing in their motives. And even by Master Ivan's tongue was their oppposing guild's name spoken with revulsion and hatred in this building. "Anyway, our task at hand is take them down and bring them here"-Laxus noticed the evil grin forming on Gajeel's face—"alive" — the grin became a pout "and the Master will be wanting to interrogate them." He finished.

Gajeel suddenly sat forward, his chin coming to rest on his propped up elbows. This was interesting. Fairy Tail mages were rarely brought in for interrogations… "So, this Cana and Levy. What's so special about some random chicks? I've never heard of them before." Gajeel inquired, frowning a bit. At this statement, Laxus' eyes widened a bit.

"Have you really not? Their names are quite well known throughout Magnolia. Miss McGarden is one of the closest to their master, Mockorav, and famous there for her quick wit and literary magic spells. She's going to be the guest of honor, as Master Ivan phrases it. She better know what's coming to her." Laxus said, shivers being sent down his own spine. He knew that the Master showed no mercy—he would not hesitate to harm the girl in order to get whatever is was that he wanted.

"And the Cana Alberona? What's her significance?" Gajeel asked dully, staring into empty space.

"Ah, Miss Alberona. She can tell the future." At this, Gajeel's head snapped up. Laxus chuckled. "Ah, might I rephrase that? She deals in the arts of card magic, her specialty a rare known method known as katarone reading. Tales say she can predict the outcome of a week's fortune, of a crop's outcome, just with one glance at her cards. Quite amazing actually," he said, smirking "I would look forward to meeting her in person. Even if Master intends on using her magic for his own gain, he is definitely also seeking her out for her history in the guild. She is actually quite popular with Magnolia, having lived there her entire life. She's recognized to be a heavy drinker, but is always in good terms with the local government, however, having helped solve several cases over the years. They say she was orphaned as a toddler and left outside the guild doors for Mockorav and Fairy Tail to look after her. She's lived there ever since." Laxus informed, ending his story.

Gajeel brought himself to look over the new information presented to him. In the first picture was a petite looking girl, with straggly blue locks adorning her small face. Gajeel's eyes widened in surprise- the blue hair, the petite figure… was that the same woman he had seen in the library before? Come on Gajeel, don't be an idiot, he tried to tell himself. There was no way that was the same person. After all, all he had seen of the person was blue hair- that was common in Fiore, right?

Gajeel tried to shake it off, but it lingered pestily in the back of his mind. He duely noted that she was as threatening as a baby panda, though. He doubted how old she even was… the information declared her as seventeen years of age.

The second picture showed a much taller woman than the first, chocolate-brown hair reaching down to the edge of her breasts. Her age was classified as nineteen. She looked to be a bit more of a challenge, and her papers told him she was the cards one, so she he would have to look out for. Either way, he was up to the challenge. He hadn't had a good fight with someone outside Raven Tail for some time now.

Gajeel knew that he shouldn't be complaining about things like not being in the first battles, but he couldn't help it. Although no one dared to admit it out loud, both Fairy Tail and Raven Tail were inching closer and closer towards downright war. Of course, the blame was put on the Raven Tail league, since they had been the first to attack. Just two weeks earlier, Master Ivan had sent the league's most fearsome warrior, Gildartz himself, and Gajeel to attack the Fairy Tail guild home. Although no one had been hurt, the place being empty at the time of the attack, the building had been horrifically damaged and was clearly meant to collapse soon enough.

In times like this, each move that their league made had to be precise and planned, the stakes being as high as they were. Both associations were simply watching each other, waiting for the other to let their guard down so as to strike them when they are vulnerable.

Gajeel snapped out of his deep train of thoughts. His natural excitement for fighting and action returned to him. "So?" he began enthusiastically, "Where's the fairy's home base? When we leavin'? Cause I pumped to go right now if you're up to—"

"We're leaving tomorrow at noon. The total journey from here to downtown Magnolia will take a few hours, so we'll need a fresh start. Sorry, but I have some work I need to get done before we leave. The rest of the locations' details are up in here," Laxus said, pointing to his head. "I don't know about you, but I'm done for the day." He lifted himself off of the cushions and started towards the information booth, Gajeel following him. They slipped into the small booth and unlocked the secret doorway. Swinging the door open noiselessly, Laxus walked up the narrow stairway, Gajeel behind him clambering quite noisily.

* * *

Gajeel trudged through the dimly lit corridor. The wood under him creaked, and the flickering lanterns sauntering the hallways were fading fast. He had been called into the master's office for who knows what reason- oh wait, he did. HE, stupid, stupid son of a bitch Gajeel had fucked up the ONE time he was put trust in. Walking down the endless hallway, Gajeel reflected on the past days' events;

~ Flash Back ~

_He climbed from one vent to another, Gildartz hot on his tail._

_"Hurry up man! I don't need your huge ass in my face for so long" Gildartz muttered sourly. Gajeel grolwed in response._

_"If we're too loud, people might hear us. This is a fucking spy mission, we kind of need to be slow!" Gajeel whisper-shouted._

_"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Gildartz grumbled. They turned left at the next intersection. They hadn't shot down the building yet- that wasn't until the afternoon, when the master informed them that the guild would be empty. Why Master Ivan didn't just let them attack when everyone was there, which seemed pretty spanking convenient to him, Gajeel would never know. It was best not to question the master though. That kept you out of the most trouble._

_At the moment their only task was to retrieve some special book from Fairy Tail's master's office. Gildartz had already taken it and met up with Gajeel in the vents, where Gajeel was waiting for him, silently. Then they would exit the building, and return to Raven Tail._

_Suddenly the thumping of the old man behind his knees stopped. Gajeel looked around him. "What?" he asked irritated._

_Gildartz looked silent for a moment, then broke out into one of those creepy grins old men get when they realized just how to conquer their opponent in chess. He tossed the heavy book into Gajeel path and held up two fingers in a peace sign before his entire body pixilated, and vanished._

_"What the- shit!" Gajeel cursed, realising that the bastard had just probably magically transported himself out of there while leaving Gajeel to continue following the dark and cramped passageway. That too, he had left him with the book that seemed to weigh a MILLION pounds! It weighed down Gajeel, making his route even more tedious, probably even more longer than it was expected to be._

_Gajeel kept crawling though, muttering some very diverse curses under his breath as he went. He could hear jeering, laughs, shouting and loud music blasting underneath him. The vents echoed with the so close yet so distant loud and happy sounds. Gajeel wondered what made a guild so excited. At Raven Tail, you finished a job, killed a person, whatever it was, and you were considered a good guild member. Maybe, if you were, lucky, the master would nod at you or something when you came in in the morning. Other than that, to be a part of Raven Tail you had to be ruthless, there was no fun. You didn't have friends, you had fellow members, most who couldn't be trusted behind your back._

_Gajeel didn't understand how the people below him could possibly be so high-spirited. Growing up in slums, and then being brought in to Raven Tail as a child, home, comfort, love- they were foreign concepts in his mind._

_He turned right at the next vent and kept crawling. Soon the ruckus died down, and silence echoed creeply once again. Deciding to stop for a breather, Gajeel lay on his back. He was probably 3 feet too tall, and 100 pounds too heavy for this ventalasion system, so god knows how he even fit. After a moment, he tried to move but found that he was stuck. He wriggled and smashed around the small way, forgetting that he was supposed to be silent. He continued to struggle, until a disatisfying groan sounded._

_Gajeel froze. It was silent for a moment. Then-_

_CRASH!_

_Gajeel fell through the ceiling and crashed onto the hard wood floor below him. He was covered in white dust and peices of wood. He very much noted the splinters covering his arm, thank you. But as soon as he landed, Gajeel had to get out. There was no one in the room (it was a library, ti seemed) but he knew that he had made enough noise to attract someone's attention. He scurried over to a wall of shelves and used its platforms to crawl up the wall. He dropped a few books, but soon he was safe in shadows of the ceiling._

_Suddenly the doors opened. Gajeel's body went rigid._

_He saw a small figure (probably female) with a bushel of cerulean hair bouncing on top of it walk hesitantly in. He watched her carefully as she maneuvered around to the corner of the room, sat down in a huge armchair, pulling out a small book. At first Gajeel thought he would wait her out- I mean, who spent more than half an hour or so reading these days? But then minutes became hours, and Gajeel was still structured cramply above a bookshelf. He was about to consider making a run for it, when she sneezed._

_Gajeel swore it was the cutest sneeze ever invented. It was dainty and small, just like her. Gajeel was even about to result to saying words like kawaii when he realized he had been in this place too long. He reached towards the ceiling where his hole still was, hoping the dim lighting of the library was still masking his presence. He hauled himself up, but almost got himself stuck in the hole. His foot caught, and a few boards fell to the ground._

_Shit. He had blew it._

_Gajeel saw the girl look up from her book, eyes wide that there was someone else in the room. Their eyes caught for a moment, and then Gajeel was off, scurrying and crawling like a mad man._

_Only thirty minutes later, after finally making it out of the back of the guild building and meeting up with Gildartz, did realize that he didn't have the special book with him. Shit, Shit,_

~ End of Flash Back ~

"Shit!" Gajeel cursed to himself once again. How could he have been so careless? And now the master was asking to see him? He was definitely in for something this time.

Gajeel finally turned right into the next swerving hallway and found the only golden door amidst the pale brown ones. He gripped the handle firmly and swung it open. The walls were pearl white, pristine mahogany desk and drawers and all. It had roses in every corner, and, smack dab in the middle, was the most disturbing scene Gajeel had ever walked in on.

Ivan was sitting in a big office chair, a voluptuous young woman quite uninnocently straddling his hips. The entire front of her scarlet red strapless dress had slid down, exposing a pale bare back to Gajeel. Ivan's large, brusque hands squeezed and violently rubbed her breasts. She let out long passionate moans as their tongues molded and meshed together messily, saliva and tongue dripping about, while her hands slid in and out of his shirt. Her already very short dress had ridden up and Ivan had moved one of his hands to squeeze her ass. Before he could fully pull it off her, Gajeel disgustedly cleared his throat.

The woman jumped and landed on the floor at the noise, scrambling to pull her dress up and hide her open chest. She flushed a deep red, but Ivan simply brushed off his shirt and make a grunting sound.

"That will be enough, Flare. Thank you." he announced quite formally, as if he wasn't a guild master just walked in on having near sex with one of his guilds' members.

Flare hurried out the door, not meeting eyes with her Gajeel. Ivan gestured to a seat across from the desk, but Gajeel was still too disturbed to move. "You wanted to see me Master?" he said asked stiffly.

Ivan simply leaned back in his chair. "Want to get straight to the point, eh Gajeel? Just like you." he said chuckling. Gajeel crossed his arms over his chest and stood solitary, not replying. It stayed like that for a while, Ivan looking over Gajeel and Gajeel standing there, face devoid of emotion. God, did Ivan love to fuck with their minds like that. Gajeel finally gave in and repeated, "Why did you want to see me?"

Ivan sighed, as if this was exactly what Gajeel hadn't been supposed to have done. "Want to get straight to it? Fine. Where's my book?"

Gajeel looked away. "I don't have it."

Gajeel saw the flash of white and felt and sharp material roughly graze his cheek before it was even aimed at him. He grunted in pain to see that the master already had his storm of shikagami paper dolls surrounding him. The cruel man raised his arm again and brought it down in another violent motion. Gajeel felt the immense pressure slide up his jaw and then punch him down again, sending him to Ivan's feet. Gajeel panted. As simple magic as it was, Ivan's was the most feared and most painful.

Ivan leered at him. "So where is it? Why did you fail!" he shouted angrily, sending another wave of razor-edged paper into Gajeel, forcibly shoving him against the wall.

"I- I apologize Master, it will not happen aga-" Gajeel was cut off my another round of of dolls being shoved into his stomach. He coughed and doubled over in pain, gasping for air.

"I don't care if it won't happen again! I DIDN'T WANT IT TO HAPPEN EVER!" He screamed, spitting on Gajeel's hunched over figure shamefully. Red clouded Gajeel's vision. He could have fought back, he knew, but that would only lead to worse punishment- that enough he knew. Gajeel felt himself being fiercely pushed up against the wall, Ivan's hands gripped around his neck. He gasped for air.

"You will NEVER fail me again, you hear me? NEVER! Failing is not an option in Raven Tail!" Ivan screamed menacingly. Gajeel weakly spit out some blood.

"Y-yes Master," he rasped out. Ivan dropped him, and he hit the floor. Hard.

"Get out of my sight." The man spat disgusted at the mass lying at his feet. Gajeel pulled himself together and left the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, he sprinted as fast as he could away from it.

**Cana**

"Levy!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"Just how clumsy can you be?!"

"I, uh, sorry! I'll help you! Please, it was an accident, I swear!"

Cana Alberona grumbled to herself as she carefully gathered her strewn across cards from the floor and shifted them to the safer, more elevated, bar. Leave it to Levy, the world's biggest klutz, she thought grumpily to herself. Fixing herself on the bar, and ignoring Levy's continuous apologies, Cana spread the cards out once more before her.

Luckily, none were permanently damaged. A few had been bent in the corners, and one had scratches from the bottom of Levy's shoes, but that would quickly fade away. Cana resumed her previous activities, before she had been rudely interrupted. She set up her cards in the certain formation she was used to when practicing her katarone magic. Creating seven piles, she slowly continued her work, shifting a card from one pile every now and then or turning one over the occasional dormant.

Finally, Cana resulted with the three piles she had formed before Levy had blindly walked into the

hall with her nose in her book and trampled all over her precious babies. Cana wasn't exactly... what you consider a normal mage. She had magic inside of her, like others, but most of her abilities came from holding objects. That too, she had developed her magic from someone else's teaching, so she had never been a complete natural. Cana chided herself for blindly slipping into her own thoughts, and turned her focus back on the cards in front of her.

Cana had been practicing her daily fortune telling ritual that concerned long periods of time's predictions before she had been interrupted. She took the first card and flipped it, like she would usually do.

The first card was Battle. This one, Cana saw almost every week. Fairy Tail had many enemies, seeing as they were usually to ones to damper the fire on any evil conspirator's plans. That tends to annoy people. Plus the missions they went on almost always ended in fighting or destroying parts of Magnolia. Conclusion; Battle makes Fairy Tail.

Next card; _Nakama_. This wasn't a rare one either, but it wasn't so common either. Cana still brushed it off, after all, Fairy Tail was basically on the verge of war, so it would reasonable that family was important. They were in a situation where they needed to stick together. Cana turned over the last card.

It had two silhouettes on it, their bodies intertwined. The rest of the card was decorated with hearts and ribbons surrounding the couple.

_Lovers._

Cana blinked, and tried to establish whether or not she was imagining things. This was the first time this card had ever come up… It was almost always shuffled into the back of her deck, forgotten. But… lovers? How on Earthland would that relate to her, or the guild for that matter? They were on battle turf, not safe grounds… Affection and personal matters werent really a main item. And that too, she wasn't- there wasn't a- Cana flustered.

Still thinking hard, but not finding any answers, Cana assumed that she would put it off until she noticed something out of the ordinary.

She looked around. The guildhall was empty except for her and Levy. The mahogany bars that she loved so much were dusted and scraped, much to her dismay. The cabinets had all collapsed, shattered glassware pooling out, and no one had bothered to clean it up. Tables and some chairs had fallen out, and yes, the most obvious result of the douche-bag attack on Fairy Tail, the ginormous metal rods bulging out of the walls and ceiling.

Cana shivered just remembering the day.

It had been a warm Sunday, and Mirajane had just come back from some modeling shoot. It had apparently been a pretty huge deal, for she and Lisanna had taken all of the kids out for lunch, on her. While the adults had taken a day off. Cana had gone to share company with the Strauss siblings, as well as some of the other teenagers. The guild hall had been completely devoid of anyone there. That was when the attack happened.

Cana remembered coming back from chaperoning lunch with Mirajane, to see the guild in tears and wears, on the brink of utter destruction. She remembered seeing Wendy Marvell break down in tears, she and Romeo going over to comfort her.

Cana tightened her grip on the bar, hands shaking slightly. Whoever had done that must have been pretty damn powerful. She knew that Raven Tail was a big deal, but never before had she even suspected that they would go this far. They had announced absolute warfare.

"Hey, Levy?" Cana asked, turning to her friend in order to pull herself away from her bitter train of thoughts.

"Hm." the script-mage kept her eyes glued to the book in front of her

"Levy, come on, talk to me, I'm bored." Cana tried again.

"Uh-huh"

"LEVY!" This time Cana ripped the book from her partner's dainty fingers.

"Hey! Give it back." Levy pleaded with her, looking at the book she had been absorbed in now out of her reach. Cana simply held it above her head, smirking as her the bluenette bounced around and struggled desperately to take it back.

"No. You're boring me. What's so interesting about this book anyway, huh?" Cana inquired, looking at it for the first time. It was shabby, maroon and clearly outdated. Its binding was already falling apart, and the edges of the cover curled upward. Several colored tabs were jutting out of its pages, but most had already falling out, as a matter of fact, some had already stuck to Cana's hand as she held it. On the cover were the gold print words, "FAIRY TAIL PROPERTY", and then, scrawled smally under it, Jolie Romane, the letters messy and cramped.

Levy made a protesting, obviously not having wanted her friend to see the book, but Cana's eyes were already as wide as saucers.

"What are you doing with Fairy Tail property? Who's Jolie Romane? Where'd you find this?" Cana asked quickly, turning the book over. The back was scratched and bruised up, even scorched in a few areas.

Levy looked away, flushed. She paused in her grappling attempts to look at the ground. "Well, you see… the other day… " she stopped again, clearly nervous about the subject. Cana understood the situation and took it that this was something serious. She sat back down on her stool and told Levy reassuringly, "You know you can tell me anything, right Levy?"

Levy sighed and looked up to meet Cana's eyes. They were utterly sincere.

"Okay, okay. I'll start by telling you how it all happened…"

~ Flash Back ~

_Levy scurried away, tripping over her own feet as she zoomed through each corridor. She looked over her shoulder, but her teammates were no where to be seen. Sighing, she took this as the chance to stop running. She slouched against the wall, panting. She had found, even after almost ten years of being at the guild, Jet and Droy still couldn't seem to give her a minute alone. They were always around her, either bickering endlessly or talking crap about how they had some huge reason to protect her from anyone and everyone. They just wouldn't leave her alone!_

_She had been escaping, then, after the two had started shouting like children, leaving her just NO space to read her book peacefully. At first she had stealthily sneaked into the next hallway, but after hearing them call out after her, she had broke out into an absolute run, leaving the main hall in her dust._

_After having caught her breath, she slipped into the nearest room. It was a library, much to Levy's satisfaction. Every wall was filled head-to-toe with shelves jutting out, novels thick small resting anciently on them. There were comfy armchairs scattered around, and low handing oil lamps shining sluggishly. The entire room smelled of petrichor and - Levy's genuine favorite- print. She inhaled deeply,a smile stretching across her face. She walked over to the armchair on the opposite side of the room, in a cozy corner isolated completely for herself. There was complete silence. Levy loved it._

_She pulled out the small novel she had unsuccessfully tried to read in between Jet and Droy and happily endorsed herself in it once more. Hours ticked away and Levy was sitll in the same position she had been in before, curled up in the armchair with the book snuggled warmly in her arms._

_Suddenly, there was a small crash as some wooden planks fell to the floor. Levy snapped out of her chair and just then noticed the gaping hole in the ceiling, where plaster and wood was raining down from. For a second, her eyes met with two red orbs, but then they vanished and quick as they had appeared, they were gone. Levy blinked in confusion. What had just happened? Was that a person just now?_

_After a few moments of waiting, Levy realized nothing else was going to happen, and took survey. There was still debris laying lazily on the ground, and, yes, the hole in the ceiling was still very much there. Next to her, Levy just noticed, was a small leatherbound book. It was scratched up and covered by some woods, but Levy dug it out and picked it up, never taking her eyes off the title. FAIRY TAIL PROPERTY._

~ End of Flash Back ~

Cana listened intently as Levy finished her story. "So that's it? It just fell from the ceiling?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah," Levy answered, still kind of wound up. "But I could have swore there was a person up there Cana!"

"Hm.." Cana muttered thoughtfully to herself. "This could be important. You should tell the master."

Levy sighed and ran her hand through her blue locks. "I know, I know. I've been trying to catch up to him recently, but he's just been so busy, what with the current situation… I don't know if something like this would help or just worry him even more." Levy tiredly confided. Cana continued to think to herself. Was it possible that someone from Raven Tail had broken in? Were they in danger?

"It's probably just some more damage from the attack, you know?" Levy said more to herself than Cana, even though that didn't fully explain what she had seen.

"Yeah. Probably." Cana lied. She took another swig from her glass. She flipped open the book, only to find blank pages. Confused, she looked further on, for some kind of indentations, or text, but it was all BLANK.

Levy saw that the brunette had noticed too and added, " Yeah, I tried magic and everything, there just isn't anything in there. Weird, right? It looks as if this book has gone all around the world and back, yet, nothing." Cana had reached the end of the book and held it up to the the overhead lamp, as if checking if there were hidden words or something coded in there. She started flipping through it again.

"But then, what were you doing before? With the reading, and the ignoring me, and being like totally involved with this thing?" Cana questioned incredulously. Levy just pulled off her red reading glasses and showed them to her friend.

"I've been trying to use my Gale-Force Reading Glasses, you know, the ones I use for speed-reading and stuff? They usually get through anything," Levy explained, "but nothing so far. I can't find anything." she admitted frustratedly.

Cana looked absentmindedly at the book again and then handed it back to Levy. She downed the contents of her drink, teetering slightly in her seat. The alcohol aroused her, setting her senses into overdrive. She loved that intoxication effect it could have on her, sending her adrenaline pumping and putting her on the fine line separating sanity and- well, the other thing.

Her eyes focused on the hazel eyes still staring dependently at her. Cana sighed. What in the world was going on?

* * *

**What did you guys think? I really didn't know how to end this, so I'm sorry if it sounds awkwards and doesn't really meet your expectations. I'm hoping to update maybe every two weeks, that's pretty good right? Please leave me a review, I absolutely LOVE hard criticism for my writing. Hope this kind of made your day *awkward thumbs up* ew no, OK byee :D Hope to have the next chapter up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! So I've got the new chapter! Woohoo! xD**

**I know, I said two weeks and now it's been almost three. Don't kill me! I really am sorry, but I've had so much going on, with christmas presents and dumb exams and taking care of my superstitious pug (she believes in ghosts and snowmen). Sorry guys!**

**Also, you guys might have seen my new screen name: OhSoTheStarsMayShine. That's right. It is NO LONG JustAnotherDoctorWhoChick. I hope its not too confusing, but it was a personal thing; basically, but dumb sister has been trying to stalk me :)**

**And I love that you guys are so into this story! I really will try to ****_not disappoint _****you guys. Trying! Also, yes, this story is named after the song "Heart Break Warfare" by John Mayer. A dick but writes good music :D You'll notice that this entire chapter is in Laxus' point of view. This isn't a regular thing, promise, you'll hear from Levy, Gajeel and Cana too :) It's just that I thought this part really needs to be seen from his perspective. Okay, enough talking, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Two: of Juvenile Cognizances and Warm Tuesday Stew

**Laxus**

Laxus tiredly groaned and trudged on lazily. The nauseating heat poured onto his back like an extra forty pounds to carry, and the fact that his trainers had long ago worn out and were supplying his feet with unwelcomed blisters didn't comfort his mood either. Five hours. Five FUCKING hours, they had been on that god- forsaken train. Only to remember that they had another hour long walk in front of them. Perfect.

Sweat sheened brightly over Laxus' head, and his shirt clung to his back like a baby to its mother. Their trip was probably worse than they needed to be. See, as dragon-slayer mages, they had this HORRIBLE motion-sickness, and so one train, even though it was already hell for any other passenger, was ten times worse for Gajeel and Laxus. It was already late in the evening, maybe six or seven, and they were starving, not having eaten since noon. There was only ten minutes left of walking- then they would supposedly reach the oh-so-mighty Fairy Tail.

Laxus didn't know what to think about that. He was supposed to kidnap these two girls, right? Laxus didn't really care. He was the strongest mage, he could definitely defeat two little girls. He hadn't even bothered to look at the pictures of them. He just knew that the master had assigned him a job, and he should probably do it, or get the crap beaten out of him. Laxus chuckled bitterly under his breath. Should he really be calling his own father "Master"? Yeah, Laxus was Ivan's son. Did that change anything? Of course not. Other than the fact that his father had decided to let him stay in his guild instead of kicking out onto the streets already. How loving, he knew.

Still, life was as living hell for Laxus as it was for the rest of guild members- no special treatment whatsoever. Laxus sighed. He didn't even know why he was in that guild. For the money? Maybe for the fame. He was one of the best-known mages in all of Fiore.

No, though, Laxus didn't really care what those other people thought about him. Probably the fact that he hated Fairy Tail's guild masters' guts, yeah, that might be a pretty reasonable motivation. Did he forget to mention the fact that almost every fucking single problem in his life had been because of that old man, the man he didn't even know? It had been him that brought his father into jail before, almost completely disconnecting Laxus from the only family he had. It had been because of that guy that Laxus had spent seventeen long years in Marie Adah's Foster Home, and called an orphan.

Laxus thought back to those days. Those happened to be the easiest, most carefree days of his life- he had never had his father there to scold or beat him, he had actually had FRIENDS. The nuns were kind, and they used to tell him and the other children stories before they went to bed.

Laxus smiled to himself a little bit, then told himself not to; No, those were NOT good days. Makarov What's-His-Face was the reason father hated me, why he countlessly abused me, why I was the cause to all of father's problems, Laxus reprimanded himself. He just had to remember that Makarov was the enemy of Laxus and Ivan Durhams, and that was that.

Laxus looked up. "Stop." He told Gajeel. His partner looked back at him, confused. The walk was supposed to have gone a little bit longer.

Laxus glanced at the path to his right. It looked oddly familiar.. Could it be? No Laxus told himself, don't think about what's not possible. Still, Laxus' curiosity overcame his more reasonable side."Why don't you rest for a bit? I'll go look for some food." he lied easily, turning to his partner.

Gajeel raised his eyebrow suspiciously. "Since when do you offer to do work?" he asked, snorting.

Laxus got a little peeved at this. " I gonna go look for something to eat, okay? Just wait here." he said finally, making it clear that he wasn't asking Gajeel's permission.

Gajeel muttered something incoherent under his breath and motioned with his hand to go. " Do what you gotta do, just bring me something too," he said, already plopping himself onto the nearest bench and closing his eyes. Laxus sighed and began to walk down the faded cobblestone. He was just surprised he had suggested it before Gajeel did, the lazy dimwit.

As soon as he said that, he corrected himself. Gajeel might be one of the laziest and disagreeable men he knew, but he was also probably one of the most powerful. Perhaps even as powerful as Laxus himself. That's saying something.

Further down the path, he could see small children chasing each other through the tall grasses. Despite himself, Laxus smiled a bit. This was it. The orphanage he had been sent to all these years ago. It looked almost exactly the same as it had back then. The same brick walls covered head-to-toe with lush green ivory, the same tall green fields that shown with joy and at-ease juvenility, and the same rattly old sign hanging from a post that read "MOTHER MARIE ADAH'S ORPHANAGE" in large, bold words. The path soon turned into soft dirt, leaving the cobblestone urbanity of the city behind. There were two buildings, one was the Main House, where the dormitories lay along with the Mess Hall, and the other a church. There were kids from all ages either playing, talking, or basking in the warm but wintry and dimming sunlight. Laxus couldn't help but feel a little longing to join them. He hadn't experienced such carefreeness in years. Before his father had taken him away right after his seventeenth birthday.

Laxus, deciding that he had stayed long enough, was about to head back to where Gajeel was when he heard a strangled cry.

A small boy maybe around the age of twelve had burst fervently out of the Main House. He ran messily, tripping over his already scabby knees more than several times, waving his hands around exasperatedly..

"Please! Please, someone help! Mother Adah is hurt, someone please help!" he shouted desperately, looking towards some of the bigger kids lounging around.

"Yeah right. Why don't you stop lying and just go back inside?" one of them said annoyedly.

"I'm not lying! She really is hurt!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before Jonah. You can end the act." another called.

"I'm not lying!" the boy exclaimed again, this time a little more peeved. The kids just turned away, ignoring him.

Laxus, deciding the scene was over, had turned around again. He had only taken a few steps when, again, he was stopped, this time by someone tugging him by the arm.

"Mister, you have to help me, please, my teacher is hurt." the boy cried. Laxus looked at him surprised. He really never believed that any little boy would have the guts to touch such an intimidating man like him, much less talk to him. Laxus' shock quickly wore off and he rewore his stoic mask. He tried to shake him off, but the kid wouldn't budge.

"Buzz off kid, get someone else to help you." Laxus growled, trying to scare him away. The boy remained defiant, small hands still clutched tightly around Laxus' arm.

"Please, I need your help," the boy said again, his voice wavering. Laxus sighed irritably. This kid was annoying. Deciding that there wasn't much chance of the boy leaving without Laxus hurting him, Laxus gave a slight nod of the head.

The boy beamed and excitedly tried to hug Laxus, which Laxus avoided by holding the boy away with his arm. "Thank you, thank you so much Mister!" the boy yelled happily.

A few kids looked at him suspiciously, and Laxus took this as a sign that he had to speed things up. "You said someone was hurt?" Laxus reminded him. The small boy stopped trying to embrace Laxus and said again, "Yes, my teacher. Come on, I'll show you."

The boy suddenly began running down the path, dragging Laxus with him, towards the Main House. Laxus easily kept up with him, but he noted that the boy was pretty fast for his youth. After a few minutes of running, they reached the house and bolted up stairs, the boy pushing quite noisily through the doors. The sprinted through numerous hallways, the boy leading, and luckily they seemed to deserted. Laxus didn't want too much questioning.

They finally reached a large set of brass doors at the end of a hallway. The boy pushed them open to reveal a prodigious library, bright and colorful mosaics staining the glass walls. Along the sides lay row after row of shelves, all overflowing from a myriad of literature. The boy led him to the right, where Laxus now saw what he was so worried about.

A huge bookshelf had collapsed, hundreds of books spilling out from its crevices. Laxus could see a small head poking out from the side, buried under the rubble.

"Jonah..." It said weakly.

"Mother Adah, I've brought help, it's okay," the boy said teary-eyed. Laxus walked over to the side of the shelf, but it was truly humongous, maybe a few hundred pounds. Laxus was surprised the woman hadn't suffocated yet. He crawled under the shelf and knelt down, raising his arms in a compromising position above him. Using his strength, he pushed up, groaning in pain. His face contorted into one of absolute concentration as he used all of his strength the lift the shelf from the floor. Still, it was immensely heavy, and even Laxus knew he wouldn't be able to carry it the whole way himself.

"Help.. her.. " Laxus wheezed raggedly, hoping the boy had heard the barely audible command. Luckily he had, and now that the shelf was a few feet off the ground, he had pulled the woman out from under the rubble, helping her away. Laxus could watch the scene unfold in front of him. He saw a new pair of feet running into the room, and it shouted, "Jonah! What's going on?"

Only then had he realized that he had simply taken on too much weight. He began to sink downwards, the weight slowly overcoming his body. He might have died, might have just been crushed by the extraordinary bulk, but suddenly a new force held the shelf up with him. A woman probably younger than him slid under the shelf as well, painfully carrying it with him. At first he was wholly and utterly shocked, but he quickly realized he had to help too. Together, they gradually and achingly lifted the bookshelf, until it finally hit the wall behind them with a THUD.

Laxus collapsed in a heap of exhaustion on the wooden floors, the weight finally lifted from his shoulders. He panted heavily and looked around for who had helped him. A mere five feet away from him lay a woman in a position almost identical to his, shoulders slouched and knees sprawled as she breathed densely. Laxus realized that she had to have been tona strong to have held up the bookshelf with him, maybe equal to him. He was silently impressed.

She suddenly looked up, almost knocking the wind out of him. She was, no doubt about it, breathtakingly beautiful. Her chocolate brown locks fell gracefully down her waist, and it didn't even look like she tried. Her chalky palm complexion was topped off by the reddest, fullest, lips Laxus had ever seen in his life. Her slender and curvy figure was adorned in a blue bikini top and brown cargo pants, numerous silver bangles hanging off her wrists and silver bands holding both of her upper arms. There was some sort of reddish mark on her shoulder, but he couldn't really make it out, still pretty stressed from the heavy lifting.

She was frowning, probably because he was staring quite noticeably at her. She stood up and looked to where the small boy was still sitting on the floor with the old woman. "Jonah? Who is this man and why is he here?" she asked coldly. Laxus was taken aback. She was kind of scary.

The boy called Jonah beamed and asserted joyfully, "This man helped Mother Adah when the book shelf fell on her. Isn't he the best?"

The still gorgeous yet impassive woman regarded Laxus again before turning back to Jonah. "So you just let a random stranger inside?" she accused him. He looked away shamefully.

"Oh Cana, don't be so rude! This kind man just saved my life, we should be thanking him!" the old woman piped up. She was very old, maybe fifties or sixties, dressed in a black and white nun's gown, but she seemed to have recovered a bit from the accident. She was also… strangely familiar.

The younger woman looked back at Laxus and scrutinized him, taking in his scratched up coat and the pale scar across his cheek. Laxus sat uncomfortably, still in his obscene posture. He returned her gaze nonetheless, not backing down.

Her lips soon curled up into a smile, one of the most genuine Laxus had seen in years. She walked over to him and held her hand out. "Well, then, I guess I should be thanking you and apologizing too."

He looked at her hand and then back at her face, not moving. "Oh come on now, I don't bite, promise," she teased. He reluctantly took her hand and let her help him up. He felt a small spark go up in his arm, and quickly let go. She looked at him like she had felt it too, but when he didn't say anything she went on to say, "Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Cana." The name struck a familiar chord in Laxus' head, but he couldn't quite place it.

Laxus nodded his head in return. "Laxus." he grunted.

"Laxus… why does that name ring a bell?" the old woman trailed off, looking at him with new eyes.

Just then, the doors burst open. In strode Gajeel, peeved as hell, and looking around for his partner. When he spotted him on the other side of the room, standing considerably close to Cana, his eyes widened, then narrowed.

"Is this a friend of yours, then?" Cana inquired. Laxus just nodded.

"Hallway. Now." Gajeel growled, walking back out the door.

Laxus looked respectfully to the women and Jonah. "If you would excuse me," he said, following his friend out the door.

Gajeel was leaning against the wall, tapping his toe and looking at Laxus impatiently. "What the hell man? What're you doing inside a daycare?" he asked.

Laxus was a little annoyed by that. "Orphanage," he corrected.

"Whatever," Gajeel brushed aside "What are you doing here? With her?"

"This kid dragged me in here 'cause he said his teacher was hurt. That's it." Laxus said shortly, not including why he was in that area of town anyway.

"Sure, " Gajeel replied sarcastically, " Don't tell me. But what is she doing here?!"

Laxus was pretty confused by now. What was Gajeel talking about? "What do you mean her? Do you know her?" he asked.

"Does he know who?"

Gajeel and Laxus jumped at the new voice. Cana had followed them out the room and was now intervening in their pretty private conversation.

"Don't you know not to eavesdrop?" Gajeel asked threateningly, still eyeing her suspiciously, much to Laxus' confusion. Cana didn't seem intimidated by him, though. If she did, she didn't show it.

"I wasn't eavesdropping. I was just going to ask you guys to stay for dinner." she replied. The men exchanged glances.

"Look lady-"

"Look lady nothing, you don't really have a choice. Laxus here just saved my Gram's life. You guys are definitely not going anywhere without us treating you to dinner, at the very least." she said matter-of-factly. The men were shocked.

"Give us a moment," Gajeel said, pulling Laxus a few feet away. Cana just crossed her arms and leaned against the door. "Take your time," she said.

"Dude," Gajeel whispered, "did you seriously not look at the pictures?"

"What pictures?"

Gajeel pulled out the small stack of information they had been going over in the lobby of Raven Tail the other day and waved them in front of Laxus' face. "These pictures."

Laxus grabbed them from Gajeel's hand, looking more closely at them. The pictures of the two girls were still there, the ones Laxus had never really done more than glance at.

Upon closer examination, Laxus realized horrifically that the Cana in the picture was the Cana he had just been talking to seconds ago. He glanced at her, still leaning against the door, and then back at the photograph. He could also now realize that the red mark on her shoulders he noticed before was a guild mark; Fairy Tail's. The resemblance was uncanny. They were the same person.

"Yeah," Gajeel whispered, pissed that it had taken so long for his partner to put two and two together. "So, what do you want to do? Attack?" he asked, looking warily over at her.

"No, definitely not. We'd cause too much of a scene."

"Then what?"

"We'll… wait until tomorrow." Laxus said unsurely. "That way both girls will be at the guild. Plus they're gonna be the only ones there, according to Ivan. Until then… dinner wouldn't hurt?" Laxus finished, speaking more from his stomach than his common sense.

"Fine." Gajeel answered, equally starved. They looked back to where Cana was.

"Finished with your chat, boys?" she asked smirkingly.

"Cana! Have you invited the gentlemen for dinner yet?" Mother Adah called, popping her head out of the door as well.

"Yes, Grams," Cana said sighing, "these boys have been having tea party in the corner, though, not telling whether they're coming or not."

Laxus and Gajeel exchanged a quick glance again, and nodded slightly. "We'll stay," Laxus said to old woman. Her face was now completely recognizable to him, and he was almost saddened by the thought that she still didn't seem to remember him.

"Splendid!" the woman cried, clapping her hands. "Jonah, you come help me in the kitchen, and you, Cana, go help these nice boys to the table." Mother Adah grabbed Jonah's hand and they began scurrying back down the hallway, probably towards the kitchen.

"This way, Laxus and- I don't think I quite caught your name," Cana asked, looking to the second burly man.

"Gajeel."

"Alright Laxus, and Gajeel, follow me."

Cana led them down the hallway again. Her heels clicked on the shabby wooden floors and the men lumbered cautiously behind her. They still weren't sure if being there at all was a good idea.

A few more twists and turns, and they were in the open yard again. It was pretty dark outside by now, but the few kids lingering jolted up to the sound of doors. They had all seen not one but two intimidating looking strangers enter the Main Hall that day, and suspicion had rosen.

"Cana! Who are these guys? Are they bothering you?" a boy probably a few years younger than Laxus asked. He was scrawny and had light blue eyes and sandy brown hair. He sized Laxus and Gajeel up, trying to look fierce.

"Oh I'm sorry, are you planning to protect her?" Gajeel said snorting, his slightly obnoxious side reaching out of him. He looked down at the kid.

"Well, I'll have you know-"

"Quit it, Derek! These guys aren't bothering me, and if they were, I'd be able to handle it on my own." Cana said, sighing.

The boy named Derek stopped arguing, probably because it had been Cana to speak.

"Come on, guys," Cana said, motioning with her hand for them to resume their walk. Once they were a few feet away she started talking. "That's Derek. Sorry 'bout him, he's a good guy, but I think he's got a little crush on me." she informed them. The men didn't say anything in strolled briskly to the mess hall, which was a lot smaller than the Main House. They pushed through the doors again, walking in silence through the vast cafeteria they had entered, to the back of it, and then through another set of small wooden doors.

They entered what must have been a kitchen almost appropriate in size to the already very large cafeteria, and then they walked into a smaller, more private kitchen. There was a stove, a sink, some counters ( your very average kitchen), and then a small brown table to seat six, coated in a plain checkered table-cloth.

Mother Adah and Jonah were there before them, already preparing a meal.

"Well, boys, sit down, make yourselves comfy." Cana said, gesturing to the seats with her hand, then going to help Mother Adah and Jonah. Gajeel and Laxus sat down at the first two seats next to eachother. They stared awkwardly at the floor. That went on for quite a while before Mother Adah finally turned from her position at the stove and placed two round dishes in front of her guests. There was steaming string beans on one side and a soup spoon on the other, and then in the middle a small bowl of vegetable broth. Cana, Jonah and Mother Adah sat down across from the table, plates identical to the mens'.

Laxus hesitantly took the small spoon from its place and dipped it into the bowl. He was still doubting whether they should have stayed at all. He brought the spoon to his mouth and let it go in.

Laxus was immediately hit with a flurry of emotions.

Cold rainy days at the orphanage, sitting grumpily at the mess hall with the other children. Then a hot bowl of soup being served to him, and the first spoonful warming his insides to the point where he felt ignited.

Helping out in the kitchen as a kid, serving the other kids and secretly tasting some of the flaming hot mix himself.

Rushing into the kitchen after being pushed into the mud by the older kids, and hoping that some hot broth would steal all his worries.

Then present day, feeling the piping hot soup slide down his throat, dousing any doubt of his being at the table, at that very moment.

The first spoonful was not enough, of course. Laxus dived for another, and once again closed his eyes, savoring the flesh-against-fire feeling lingering in his throat. The group of five ate in silence, but not an uncomfortably so one. It was clear that they were all enjoying the meal very much, excuse you, and really couldn't stop to take a breath or even create small talk.

Soon the bowl was empty, and Laxus' stomach felt whole, full, satisfied after his groggy day of travel. He slipped the last few string beans in his mouth and looked to his partner, who seemed to have finished as well.

"Ahh, Grams, your famous vegetable soup never fails to please me," Cana sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back in her chair contentedly.

"Yup, it's the best, Mother Adah," Jonah repeated, grinning toothily.

"Well, I glad you two enjoyed that," Mother Adah said smiling kindly. "Sir, would you be a dear and help me with the dishes?", Mother Adah asked looking to Gajeel.

"I, uh-"

"Come on, Gajeel, just help her with the dishes," Laxus said, smirking at his friend. The iron mage glowered at him in return and reluctantly got up from his seat at the table. He followed the old woman back to the sink while the smaller boy- Jonah- piped in eagerly and began to help the older people.

Alone, at the table, Laxus realized that Cana had disappeared. He looked to where the other three were fumbling about busily at the sink, and then back into the hallway, but she was no where to be seen. On his left, he noticed a glass sliding door was open, leading outside. Curiosity getting the better of him, he cautiously got up from his seat at the table and walked out the door.

The cool air danced on his skin like needles, and the icy wind ruffled his hair. Late Autumn.

He noticed her then, sitting on the wooden porch steps, legs crossed. She was looking into the horizon, a sunset now dawning. She held a beer in her hand, something that surprised Laxus. He didn't know a lot of women who drank.

She saw him out of the corner of her eye and jumped a little. "Oh, Laxus, didn't see you there. Just out for some fresh air." she said, turning back to her view. Laxus leaned against the wooden pillar beside her.

She held up the bottle in her hands. "I personally love a good dousing after dinner, or anytime of the day as a matter of fact," she said thoughtfully. "But Grams never lets me drink inside the orphanage walls. Like some?" she asked, offering it up to him. He accepted it from her and took a deep chug, letting the bitter-sweet drink swoon his mouth. It was surprisingly refreshing. He handed it back.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"No problem." she whispered back, taking another swig of her own.

They stayed like that for a while, exchanging the booze in silence, watching the sky turn from blue to orange. Orange to pink.

"So," Laxus started, breaking the silence. "Mother Adah, you called her your Grams?"

Cana replied without looking at him. "Well, she's not actually my grandmother," she stated. "I've been in this orphanage since I was a infant, practically handed over here the day after I was born,"- her voice turned a little bitter- "and since then, its been kind of a second home to me, and Grams a second mother, you know?"

Laxus nodded patiently. He did know. He remembered this place shiny and clear, and it most certainly had been a home to him all those years. He knew to any kid how rewarding this orphanage was, how special it made all of them feel. He knew exactly what she was talking about.

"And you've stayed here all these years?"

"Oh heavens, no, I moved into my own house when I was sixteen or so. Couldn't bother Grams any longer." she answered.

"But..?" he questioned.

"But, of course I just couldn't let myself leave." she admitted, sighing, and looking up at him. "I grew up here, these people are my family! So ever since I became an adult and licensed to work I've been helping out here. God knows Grams and the other nuns need some help," she said exasperatedly.

"But at the same time, I've technically been working since I was eight, at this guild, Fairy Tail?" she explained. Laxus shifted uncomfortably. He realized just what he was doing at the moment, and how wrong it felt. "A mage's guild, I'm sure you've heard of it." she added, still looking at him. He broke her gaze and nodded slightly.

She sighed and downed the rest of the booze.

"So are you gonna stay forever?" Laxus inquired, voicing the most obvious question.

Cana's head slouched. "I don't know." It was rasped out quietly and almost inaudible, and Laxus was only able to catch it because of his super-human dragon-slaying hearing ability.

"You don't know?" he asked, confused.

"I don't know!" she exclaimed, snapping her head up. "I just don't know! Am I supposed to stay here the rest of my life, making meals for kids and teaching subjects I haven't even learned, or am I supposed to do something with my life?"

She looked at him, straight in the eye. "Don't you ever get this feeling where you just don't know what you're fighting for, like what your purpose in life even is?" she asked him quietly. "Sometimes, I just don't know what to do. Am I supposed to go out, make a difference in the world, or stay here forever?"

Laxus didn't know how to respond, but he knew how she felt. He felt the same way everyday. He still didn't know why he was in Raven Tail, why he killed and hurt people for living, or what he was supposed to do with his life. How was he to put that in an answer though? How was he to sum that all up, put a bow on top, and tell this woman that he knew exactly how she felt, and that she wasn't alone in this?

Instead, he just said, "I know." That sounded pretty lame. She looked at him incredulously, and was about to say something when the glass door slid open loudly, causing both of them to jump. Gajeel was standing in the doorway, arms crossed.

"We really gotta go." he stated, plain and simple. Laxus nodded and righted himself from where he had slouched against the pillar. Mother Adah and Jonah appeared in the doorway behind the dark mage and asked, "Are you leaving already?"

"Yes, we really need to get going. It's getting late." Laxus added. Cana got up from her spot on the porch and looked at Laxus.

"Well, we'll see you around then," she stated cooly. Laxus was surprised at how quickly she had shifted from all out conversation to impassiveness once again. But he wouldn't be fooled by her uncaring mask. He saw it on himself when he looked in the mirror everyday.

He nodded and looked to Jonah and Mother Adah. "Thank you for the meal," he offered.

"Oh, it's the least we could do, you know you saving my life, and all, " Mother Adah replied happily. Her crinkled old face scrunched into a loving smile. Oh, how Laxus longed to remind her who he was, and how much she had changed his life.

Instead he only nodded again, and turned around and walked past the women and boy through the door. They exited the small kitchen, and then entered the larger kitchen, and finally passed through the huge cafeteria to step out into the cold once again.

The children were all gone, much to Laxus' preference. They walked down the shabby dirt patch once again, the moon now shining brightly over their heads. Laxus shoved his hands in his pockets and pulled his head into his collar to conserve heat.

"Where we sleepin'?" Gajeel asked in a low voice. He was in a similar position to Laxus, head down and hands sheltered.

Laxus shrugged. "I dunno." His voice was muffled through the fabric. They continued their brisk pace through the fields and finally into the urban city once again. Laxus didn't dare look back. He didn't know what he would see, and didn't want to know. He was embarrassed enough. Those people had just treated like family, had even treated them to dinner- and he was supposed to attack Cana later? It was so, so wrong. He just didn't know what to think about it.

As a Raven Tail mage, he learned never to spare mercy, never to grow feelings towards the enemy. And he really didn't. He was ruthless when it came to battle, and he didn't give it a second thought before striking down an opponent. Somehow, though, Cana felt different. She had opened up to him, trusted him with something personal.

How was he to deal with all this? His mind was congested with worry, guilt and mixed feelings. His head throbbed from the exhausting day. It was all so complicated.

They reached the town square and spotted two vacant benches by the side. The waning moon hung dreamily over the midnight blue sky, stars scattered amongst its numerous folds. The evergreen trees swayed in the gentle breeze, craning their necks to dance in unison. Shopkeepers around them began switching off lights, packing up inventory. One by one booths and windows darkened, until finally the square was lit only by the dim, crappy streetlights. Laxus sighed and walked over to the nearest bench.

"We're camping out, I guess?" Laxus asked, looking to Gajeel.

Gajeel huffed and looked disappointingly at the bench. "Yeah, I guess. I didn't enough to pay for an inn," he admitted. He walked over and rested his back on the seat and let his feet dangle over the edge of the arm rest.

"G'night then." Laxus said, lying down on the other bench.

"G'night."

Laxus stared blankly in front of him. He couldn't sleep. He definitely couldn't close his eyes. There was too much clouding his mind.

It was all very new to Laxus, the whole, emotion, thing? He had never felt guilty, had never talked to or been around an opponent without feeling guilty if he hurt them.

The stars twinkled infinitely over him, and Gajeel's loud snores filled the silence. Laxus stayed there for hours, back rigid against the hard wooden bench. He thought back to the small spark he had noticed before when touching Cana. It was all very cliche, and Laxus just didn't know how to deal with it.

The sky was so blue that night.

All he knew is that he had to get over it before tomorrow; when he had to defeat Cana Alberona, without a doubt.

* * *

**Okay guys! How do you feel about that? I personally though the talk on the porch was pretty fluffy, but I'm sorry if it seems a little rushed. But then again, I was just trying to emphasize how much they had in common.**

**OKAY, please review! I know a lot of you followed and favorited this story, which make me very happy to hear, seeing as this is only my first story. But I'd also like some reviews. Tell what you think! What do you think will happen next?**

**I'm trying to update every two weeks, but with the holidays coming up, it might be another three. Sorry :( I'm trying my best!**

**Later nerds!**


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